A competitive swimmer's performance can be improved in two basic ways, by perfecting technique and by building strength. Improvement of the arm portion of a swimming stroke, as separated from the kick portion of the stroke, has in the past been pursued with the use of swim paddles fitted to the swimmer's hands. Such swim paddles are conventionally releasably attached to the swimmer's hands, and are used to increase the drag to which the swimmer is exposed while swimming. As such, these devices tend to be much more effective at building arm strength than at promoting the perfection of technique.
Existing swim paddles are available in a variety of shapes and forms, some being flat in a square configuration, some flat in a rectangular configuration, some oval, some triangular and some flat in a combination of geometric configurations. As well as being available in various flat configurations, swim paddles are also available in a curved or cupped form with the intention of providing greater resistance, improved technique or both. Swim paddles are typically attached to the hands of the swimmer by surgical tubing or other strap-like elastomeric device positioned through the paddle to form a finger loop. It is often the case that a further such loop or more is employed to secure the swimmers wrist or other parts of the hand to the paddle in a similar manner. Further, some paddles designs are such that the swimmer must extend his fingers over the edge of the paddle resulting in an unnatural hand position in order to securely grasp the paddle. Examples of existing paddles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,913,418; 5,288,254; 5,376,036; and 5,643,027. It is clear therefore that with the many forms of paddle available to the swimmer, each will perform somewhat differently according to his level of expertise, quality of technique, effort and expectations.
A common observation, however, is that the usual method of attaching a paddle to the hand does not provide paddle stability during a swimmer's stroke nor encourage proper swim technique. The prior art is replete with examples of paddles secured to the hand or fingers with a mere strap which causes paddle instability during a swimmer's stroke. During the front crawl stroke, for example, the trailing hand begins an upward movement prior to leaving the water to begin its forward propulsive stroke. It is at this point that water pressure is actually on the top or upper part of the paddle thus causing the paddle to move away from the hand resulting in both perceived and actual instability. When the paddle is fitted with a series of fastenings, rather than move away from the hand, the paddle tends to wobble sideways, again resulting in both perceived and actual instability. Some designs have attempted to overcome these conditions by encouraging the swimmer to grasp the edges of the paddle with the fingertips. The obvious disadvantage with this approach is that it does not encourage the correct technique with the swimmer and its degree of success is very much dependent on the size of the swimmers hands. Finally, the prior art is also replete with examples of paddles which force a swimmer to place the fingers and thumb in a single plane along the upper or top surface of the paddle which discourages proper swim technique.
Accordingly, there is a need for a paddle that provides for improved hand positioning on the paddle and proper hand form during each stroke as well as providing increased resistance and improved muscle development. Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description that follows.